I actually got to ride in one of these, with siren blaring and light flashing. Godfather was a cop and drove me home from church after my first communion in one. I was the coolest kid in the neighborhood that day.

Pete Malloy: This black and white patrol car has an overhead valve V8 engine. It develops 325 horsepower at 4800 RPM's. It accelerates from 0 to 60 in seven seconds; it has a top speed of 120 miles an hour. It's equipped with a multi channeled DFE radio and an electronic siren capable of admitting three variables, wale, yelp, and alert. It also serves as an outside radio speaker and public address system. The automobile has two shotgun racks, one attached to the bottom portion of the front seat, one in the vehicle trunk. Attached to the middle of the dash, illuminated by a single bulb is a hot sheet desk. Fastened to which you will always make sure is the latest one off the teletype before you ever roll.

Jim Reed: Yes sir.

Pete Malloy: It's your life insurance and mine. You take care of it and it'll take care of you.

2xhelix:I actually got to ride in one of these, with siren blaring and light flashing. Godfather was a cop and drove me home from church after my first communion in one. I was the coolest kid in the neighborhood that day.[i.imgur.com image 640x512]

Got a ride in one similar to the second car in the picture. Back seat isn't nearly as comfortable as I'd have expected in a car that size. No door handles either, obviously quality was slipping.

Adam Carolla had a great quote from one of his CarCast podcasts about American cars celebrating technology that was already old by the time it was implemented: "Didn't matter if someone beat them by 20 years, they were bragging about what they had NOW."

They were talking about some car from the 80's that had "four wheel disc brakes" on the door handles, like it was a new invention.

In several countries I've visited in recent years, including Taiwan, Switzerland, and parts of France, the highway cops drive nice new 3-series BMWs. That's gotta be better than a 40-year-old Mopar sedan that was considered a pile of crap even in its day.

Cyberluddite:Even in its day, the Plymouth Satellite was an econobox POS.

In several countries I've visited in recent years, including Taiwan, Switzerland, and parts of France, the highway cops drive nice new 3-series BMWs. That's gotta be better than a 40-year-old Mopar sedan that was considered a pile of crap even in its day.

Highway cops, in France, also drive Subaru Imprezas. But you are far more likely to see motorcycle cops in souped-up BMWs or Yamahas, actually, on the highways.

2xhelix:I actually got to ride in one of these, with siren blaring and light flashing. Godfather was a cop and drove me home from church after my first communion in one. I was the coolest kid in the neighborhood that day.

Something about a front end with vertical headlights is soooo awesome.

padraig:Cyberluddite: Even in its day, the Plymouth Satellite was an econobox POS.

In several countries I've visited in recent years, including Taiwan, Switzerland, and parts of France, the highway cops drive nice new 3-series BMWs. That's gotta be better than a 40-year-old Mopar sedan that was considered a pile of crap even in its day.

Highway cops, in France, also drive Subaru Imprezas. But you are far more likely to see motorcycle cops in souped-up BMWs or Yamahas, actually, on the highways.

They switched to Renault Sport Megane 3 RS after wrecking near all the subbies...

Not even sure why cops are driving V8's still, with the price of gas they should all be driving a Ford Focus or some other 4 cylinder with much better gas mileage. I live in NY and it makes me crazy to see one cop on the NYS Thruway in a Suburban. They are wasting tax payers money and it needs to stop, and I am serious not trolling, it really is a pet peeve of mine.

praymantis:Not even sure why cops are driving V8's still, with the price of gas they should all be driving a Ford Focus or some other 4 cylinder with much better gas mileage. I live in NY and it makes me crazy to see one cop on the NYS Thruway in a Suburban. They are wasting tax payers money and it needs to stop, and I am serious not trolling, it really is a pet peeve of mine.

Ummm you don't understand why police cruisers need speed to catch up to people speeding...........?

Tat'dGreaser:praymantis: Not even sure why cops are driving V8's still, with the price of gas they should all be driving a Ford Focus or some other 4 cylinder with much better gas mileage. I live in NY and it makes me crazy to see one cop on the NYS Thruway in a Suburban. They are wasting tax payers money and it needs to stop, and I am serious not trolling, it really is a pet peeve of mine.

Ummm you don't understand why police cruisers need speed to catch up to people speeding...........?

You don't need a V8 that gets 13 MPG for that there are plenty of 4 cylinder cars that can do that, things like turbo. It is evident that for sometime you can use a smaller engine and still get the performance when you need it. In addition 99.9% of the time when the lights are flashing people pull over.

praymantis:Not even sure why cops are driving V8's still, with the price of gas they should all be driving a Ford Focus or some other 4 cylinder with much better gas mileage. I live in NY and it makes me crazy to see one cop on the NYS Thruway in a Suburban. They are wasting tax payers money and it needs to stop, and I am serious not trolling, it really is a pet peeve of mine.

Big issue is size, a Focus couldn't hold their equipment let alone have room for a perp in the back.

praymantis:You don't need a V8 that gets 13 MPG for that there are plenty of 4 cylinder cars that can do that, things like turbo. It is evident that for sometime you can use a smaller engine and still get the performance when you need it. In addition 99.9% of the time when the lights are flashing people pull over.

Tat'dGreaser:praymantis: Not even sure why cops are driving V8's still, with the price of gas they should all be driving a Ford Focus or some other 4 cylinder with much better gas mileage. I live in NY and it makes me crazy to see one cop on the NYS Thruway in a Suburban. They are wasting tax payers money and it needs to stop, and I am serious not trolling, it really is a pet peeve of mine.

Ummm you don't understand why police cruisers need speed to catch up to people speeding...........?

I'm all for cop cars having large engines, but I gotta agree with praymantis on the SUV front. I don't understand why they'd drive one of those. I see them in the suburbs as well. Depending on the area I understand why, but highway patrol? I don't get it.

Tom_Slick:praymantis: Not even sure why cops are driving V8's still, with the price of gas they should all be driving a Ford Focus or some other 4 cylinder with much better gas mileage. I live in NY and it makes me crazy to see one cop on the NYS Thruway in a Suburban. They are wasting tax payers money and it needs to stop, and I am serious not trolling, it really is a pet peeve of mine.

Big issue is size, a Focus couldn't hold their equipment let alone have room for a perp in the back.

Does not have to be a Focus but there must be something out there better than a Suburban and a Crown Vic., especially for town or city cops. 13-15 MPG is a complete waste.

praymantis:Tom_Slick: praymantis: Not even sure why cops are driving V8's still, with the price of gas they should all be driving a Ford Focus or some other 4 cylinder with much better gas mileage. I live in NY and it makes me crazy to see one cop on the NYS Thruway in a Suburban. They are wasting tax payers money and it needs to stop, and I am serious not trolling, it really is a pet peeve of mine.

Big issue is size, a Focus couldn't hold their equipment let alone have room for a perp in the back.

Does not have to be a Focus but there must be something out there better than a Suburban and a Crown Vic., especially for town or city cops. 13-15 MPG is a complete waste.

They do, Dodge will sell you a V6 Charger, Ford has an Ecoboost option in the new Taurus.

/The reason the Crown Vic hung around so long was cost, it costs a lot of money to outfit a car and switching to a new model means you have to buy all new stuff.

praymantis:Tom_Slick: praymantis: Not even sure why cops are driving V8's still, with the price of gas they should all be driving a Ford Focus or some other 4 cylinder with much better gas mileage. I live in NY and it makes me crazy to see one cop on the NYS Thruway in a Suburban. They are wasting tax payers money and it needs to stop, and I am serious not trolling, it really is a pet peeve of mine.

Big issue is size, a Focus couldn't hold their equipment let alone have room for a perp in the back.

Does not have to be a Focus but there must be something out there better than a Suburban and a Crown Vic., especially for town or city cops. 13-15 MPG is a complete waste.

Crown Vics have a much lower center of gravity then SUVs and are good for employing the pit maneuver, in the event it would be necessary. They are also very heavy; you most likely couldn't pit another large heavy car using a Focus, etc.

Tat'dGreaser:praymantis: Not even sure why cops are driving V8's still, with the price of gas they should all be driving a Ford Focus or some other 4 cylinder with much better gas mileage. I live in NY and it makes me crazy to see one cop on the NYS Thruway in a Suburban. They are wasting tax payers money and it needs to stop, and I am serious not trolling, it really is a pet peeve of mine.

Ummm you don't understand why police cruisers need speed to catch up to people speeding...........?

I had a crown vic, it averaged 24mpg with the 4.6 liter V-8. They're not that bad on gas for a full size car. A Focus or whatever, without significant mods, can't take the beating that most cops would subject it to - thats why the front drive Chevy Impala and Dodge Intrepid cruisers didn't stick around long, outside of quiet, sleepy, towns.

csb time -I actually have a 1976 Plymouth Gran Fury that's an ex Florida Highway Patrol that I'm in the process of restoring to its original patrol specs. Its got the 440 Hi-Po engine, heavy duty suspension and brakes, and a "Sure-Grip" limited slip rear diff. Its not quite as insane on power as the 71/72 models were, but its still quite a potent ride for such a large car, doing 0-60 in around six seconds today, even with the well worn and not-yet-rebuilt original engine, and its said that the top speed was somewhere over 130mph. The 70s were a dark time for performance, but to put it in perspective, that puts this giant land yacht on par in acceleration with the corvettes of its same year.

StoPPeRmobile:Tat'dGreaser: praymantis: Not even sure why cops are driving V8's still, with the price of gas they should all be driving a Ford Focus or some other 4 cylinder with much better gas mileage. I live in NY and it makes me crazy to see one cop on the NYS Thruway in a Suburban. They are wasting tax payers money and it needs to stop, and I am serious not trolling, it really is a pet peeve of mine.

Ummm you don't understand why police cruisers need speed to catch up to people speeding...........?

praymantis:You don't need a V8 that gets 13 MPG for that there are plenty of 4 cylinder cars that can do that, things like turbo. It is evident that for sometime you can use a smaller engine and still get the performance when you need it. In addition 99.9% of the time when the lights are flashing people pull over.

How much do those cost? What's the MPG for that? Do you also know that everything they buy has to be awarded to the lowest bidder? That means they'd have to find someone willing to make all of that at a low cost, someone who can maintain that at a low cost and then swap everything over which would then include training everyone on this which also costs money.

Malacon:I'm all for cop cars having large engines, but I gotta agree with praymantis on the SUV front. I don't understand why they'd drive one of those. I see them in the suburbs as well. Depending on the area I understand why, but highway patrol? I don't get it.

It snows in NY, pickup trucks aren't a good option with the gear they have. Also those suburbans could be K9 units.

Malacon:I'm all for cop cars having large engines, but I gotta agree with praymantis on the SUV front. I don't understand why they'd drive one of those. I see them in the suburbs as well. Depending on the area I understand why, but highway patrol? I don't get it.

A lot of the small town and patrol vehicles today, at least the Dodge Chargers, actually have the V-6. Its still a decently potent engine, and gets much better fuel mileage. I know in the city of Tyrone, GA, that's what they did. They'd replaced most of their Crown Vics with V-6 chargers, but they also had one or two with the Hemi V-8 for interceptor/pursuit only use on the stretch of highway that went thru their jurisdiction. They were all painted identical and did not have the "HEMI" badge, so you never knew what you were gonna get.

Back in the day, I know a lot of the NYPD city patrol cars actually had the little 225 cube slant-6 engine. They needed the larger, tough, durable, car, but they were almost never used for pursuit or run at highway speeds and the slant six was fuel thrifty and damn near indestructable. Usually it was only the highway patrols and cars planned for likely high speed/pursuit use that were equipped with the B/RB engines like the 383 and 400. Most city patrol cars usually had the much more thrifty (but still pretty potent) 318 V-8.

Tom_Slick:praymantis: Tom_Slick: praymantis: Not even sure why cops are driving V8's still, with the price of gas they should all be driving a Ford Focus or some other 4 cylinder with much better gas mileage. I live in NY and it makes me crazy to see one cop on the NYS Thruway in a Suburban. They are wasting tax payers money and it needs to stop, and I am serious not trolling, it really is a pet peeve of mine.

Big issue is size, a Focus couldn't hold their equipment let alone have room for a perp in the back.

Does not have to be a Focus but there must be something out there better than a Suburban and a Crown Vic., especially for town or city cops. 13-15 MPG is a complete waste.

They do, Dodge will sell you a V6 Charger, Ford has an Ecoboost option in the new Taurus.

/The reason the Crown Vic hung around so long was cost, it costs a lot of money to outfit a car and switching to a new model means you have to buy all new stuff.

The Vic has been around for so long, with so few changes, that there is a parts backlog that makes replacement parts cheap. And the car is easy to maintain.

Also the Crown Vic Police Interceptor is a durable car. Body-on-frame construction. There's a reason that half the cabs in service are retired Interceptors, many with well over 200K on the odo.

The trunk is cavernous. I've spoken to officers who drive the Charger and the new Ford Interceptor, and the complaint I've heard is the same: "Not enough space for the gear."

So there are a lot of reasons the Vic is/was a good car for the purpose. Fuel efficiency finally killed it. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Chevy Caprice, it looks just about right.

My department is starting to transition away from Crown Vics. My assigned car has 100k+ on the odo and already has a new motor. Now the tranny's slipping. We have a few new Impala's- horrible choice for a police car. Looks like a rental car with police lights and stickers on it. Front wheel drive oversteer, shiatty front seats.

Word is that we're getting Ford's new Police Interceptor purpose-built cars. Hopefully I'll be getting one of those...

JustGetItRight:Pssh. Amateurs.Anybody can find an old Dodge. Here's a real head turner and the story behind it.[www.sspcentral.com image 500x333][www.sspcentral.com image 500x289][sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net image 720x480]

Tat'dGreaser:praymantis: Not even sure why cops are driving V8's still, with the price of gas they should all be driving a Ford Focus or some other 4 cylinder with much better gas mileage. I live in NY and it makes me crazy to see one cop on the NYS Thruway in a Suburban. They are wasting tax payers money and it needs to stop, and I am serious not trolling, it really is a pet peeve of mine.

Ummm you don't understand why police cruisers need speed to catch up to people speeding...........?

They don't. A 4 or 6 cylinder car can reach high speeds just not as fast. They should have no problem catching speeders. I'm told that radios make it impossible to escape by running, so they don't need it for that.

That car is cool but Crown vic's suck, body on frame is good for pickups and your grandma's sweet ride. Any new AWD v6 or turbo 4 smokes them. Most departments I see are going to those ford interceptor suv's which are awd.

Actually they can do what's called a "resto-mod" on older cars like that, install a modern FI engine,3 or 4 link triangulated suspension with coil springs, disc brakes, sway bars, etc... & it'll handle like a modern car but still look the same. A lot of the kits are bolt-on, so you can switch back to original.

As far as using SUVs, our local cops have to have them, a lot of really bad dirt/rock/steep roads here so they need 4WD.

Considering the number of rabid, granola headed, hippie, tree-hugging, anti-carbon, bike-riding, retards we have here in the PNW, I'm surprised there hasn't been a protest of this car as an evil destroyer of worlds on par with the Death Star.

praymantis:Not even sure why cops are driving V8's still, with the price of gas they should all be driving a Ford Focus or some other 4 cylinder with much better gas mileage. I live in NY and it makes me crazy to see one cop on the NYS Thruway in a Suburban. They are wasting tax payers money and it needs to stop, and I am serious not trolling, it really is a pet peeve of mine.

I'm with you, all the cops in Seattle driving around in Magnum's is ridiculous. They have no need whatsoever for its potential speed so they are just guzzling enormous amounts of gas while trying to look cool.

NobleHam:The Seattle PD has been trying so hard to be cool recently, you just know they must be doing some shady shiat behind the scenes.

They're so brutal, the DoJ has stepped in and our latest police chief has stepped out. The SPD shoots the defenseless and the homeless, beats the swarthy, the gay, and the protestor, and then lie about it. When caught lying and fired, our cops go to court claiming wrongful termination. It's hard to feel sympathy for them.

Perhaps, with the DoJ oversight and a new chief, the SPD culture can be repaired. Right now, though, they're just another gang to be avoided at all costs.

Bio-nic:Medic Zero: Bio-nic: To quote Indiana Jones "It should be in a museum!!"

I know it's a cool thing and all, don't get me wrong, but that car isn't something that should be on patrol. Cops are notoriously hard on any vehicle they drive.

Know how I know you didn't read the article?

Except they do take it out on patrol... and considering there are only 50something of them in existence, that's a pretty horrifying idea.

Unless I read the article wrong, it sounded like the guy that owns it is a 30 year veteran of the force who they let drive his personal vehicle that used to be a local police car and is painted in current colors. I can understand the concern about it getting hit by some other car, but if there are 50 others, it's not like it is the very last one so I'm totally fine with letting him do what he wants with his own property. Your concern about it being not taken care of by the person driving it seems completely off base.

Enigmamf:CtrlAltDestroy: No mention of the first purpose built police interceptor?....Carbon E7....Too bad that it went under.

Their entire business model was "This car looks badass, don't you cops wanna look badass too"? I think that conflicts with the image of professionalism most departments aim for these days.

Are you daft? The cars were specifically designed with what a cop would need in mind, yet you ignore all of their task specific features and instead claim that their business model was solely looks?

They wanted to break into a very well established market with a very different type of business model. Purpose built for the task instead of converting proven platforms. That's an uphill struggle. One way to make sure that you don't get lost in the mix is to make yourself stand out and distinctive. And they did just that. They were built for a task instead of adapted to the task and there was no mistaking them for anything else on the road. Win/win.

And are you really suggesting that our average cop doesn't have any desire to be/look/feel badass?

They had orders from over 600 police departments. Cops obviously wanted them.